“If it’s something you’ve never looked into, this festival is not to be missed,” she said. “The number of bands they get, the vendors and the amount of work the pinups put into this. They prepare for months for this. People are amazed that something this fun can exist on our side of the water.”

The Kingston resident, mother of two, and co-owner of Poulsbo’s Eye Candy Salon initially went to the festival to promote her business, but has since become “hooked” on Kustom Kulture and the pinup scene.

Since getting involved in the scene, Razor Rose has been published, and she has worked with charities such as pinups against cancer.

As pageant royalty, she now has a few words of wisdom.

Kitsap Week: What was it like winning the People’s Choice crown?

Razor Rose: It was really special. At the very end they bring up the girls on stage, we get our crowns, they put on the final band and people dance. It is really hard to dance with a large crown on your head.

KW: What is the crown like?

RR: I would compare mine to something Glenda the Good Witch in “Wizard of Oz” would wear. It is big and sparkly. My daughter loves it.

KW: What is the experience like, competing for the crown?

RR: There’s a lot of more work that goes into it than you would expect, but you have a blast. I competed three different years, and every year I promised myself I wouldn’t do anyone else’s hair, but that didn’t work out; I’m a cosmetologist. There’s at least three costume changes, but you can do more. We do classic pinup, something formal, and something that fits within our theme as well. We spend the day wandering around the crowd. I did the best to promote my sponsors as much as possible. There’s a lot of posing with cars; there’s a lot of photographers at the event.

KW: How do you like pinup work?

RR: One thing I didn’t understand until the first year I started doing pinup, is there is a creative side. I’ve been published, and I’ve done a lot of charity work. It’s fun having an outlet. It’s like being in the theater but you’re silent and still when you are acting.

KW: Any advice for current pinup pageant competitors at the fest?

RR: My biggest piece of advice is, don’t take the competition side of it too seriously, and bring a pair of backup shoes. Use good etiquette when posing with people’s cars; you don’t want to scratch someone’s car.

KW: What is the Kustom Kulture scene like in Kitsap?

RR: It’s incredible how much it’s grown. It amazes me how many opportunities there are to hear rockabilly bands. Chuck and Hanah at the RockIt Roost have started quite a snowball effect, getting the community to grow.

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